Henry County Middle students are participating in project-based learning exhibitions to develop skills like public speaking, presentation skills, and conducting in-depth research. Students created projects on various topics and presented them to get peer feedback. The personalized learning approach allows students to learn in different ways and develop 21st century skills. A proposal to terminate the county's legal services contract with Fincher, Denmark & Minnifield LLC failed after only two commissioners voted in favor. Police are seeking a suspect in an armed robbery at a Stockbridge Walgreens. The Stockbridge city council voted to close its investigation into Mayor Tim Thompson, though some council members were dissatisfied with the investigative report.

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Henry Herald www.henryherald.com Henry County’s News Source since 1874 10 cents ©2015 SCNI Vol. 44, No. 93
Saturday/Sunday, NOVEMBER 21/22, 2015
WEEKLY
STATE SCHOOLING, 8A
Luella students explore North Georgia
IN SPORTS
See how Eagle’s Landing Christian
Academy football fared in playoffs
• Page 1B
McDONOUGH — Stu-
dents politely interrupt
Christina Phillips in search
of more feedback sheets. One
after another, they make the
request.
The students are excited
to get peer feedback on how
they may be able to improve
their research projects dis-
played in the school media
center as part of the Henry
County Middle Project-based
Learning Exhibition Day.
Phillips is overseeing the
organized chaos. She is the
school’s personalized learn-
ing coach, working closely
alongside project manager
Traci Williams.
“They have all this digital
stuff available to them, but
they don’t know what to do
with it,” Phillips said. “So,
it’s a great teaching strat-
egy. It makes the kids more
engaged.”
Williams added that learn-
ing in the 21st century is
more “global” than it has
ever been and personalized
learning strategies that are
project-based are increas-
ingly necessary for students
to develop and maintain new-
age skills.
Phillips, formerly a middle
grades math and science
teacher, maintains an affin-
ity for hard science projects
like the solar panels research
presentation in the corner.
Another group of prospec-
tive broadcast journalists
have a media cart set up in
the center of the room.
Sixth-grader Synia Hunter,
who manages the team’s
extended learning weekly
productions, said she enjoys
working with the group.
“It’s fun,” Hunter said.
“But you have to get used to
it. It takes patience because
you have to work on the
small things before getting to
the big things.”
Elsewhere in a classroom,
seventh-graders Kendall
Ricks and Sky Watters are
working on projects for their
English language arts teacher
Rashetta Johnson.
Watters, who is interested
on researching the civil rights
movement, just learned she
has to be more specific in the
topic.
Her teacher placed the
suggestion on a board with
columns that indicate wheth-
er a student’s project idea
may be overly broad or too
restrictive.
Watters’ classmate Ricks is
working through the process
too. She proposes doing writ-
ing and presenting a project
that contrasts inflation — the
cost of items from 50 years
ago compared to present-day
prices.
“Now, for a dollar, maybe
you can buy half a bag of
candy,” said Ricks, who
said she got the idea from
her grandmother’s telling of
popular penny candies from
the 1960s.
Phillips said she looks for
students to develop skills in
speaking, presentation and
in-depth research as well as
the ability to identify and ad-
dress community needs. She
NEW-AGE
SKILLSBy Johnny Jackson
jjackson@henryherald.com
Henry Co.
students
catching on to
project-based
personalized
learning
Proposal to
end contract
with Fincher
firm fails
McDONOUGH — A proposal to
terminate the county’s legal contract
with Fincher, Denmark & Minnifield
LLC failed after only two commission-
ers voted for the proposal.
Commissioners voted in August
2014 to outsource its legal department
and hire the firm, thus
eliminating the posi-
tion held by in-house
County Attorney Lato-
nya Wiley.
Chairman Tommy
Smith, who proposed
the resolution, said he
was hoping that the ap-
proval of his proposed
resolution would allow
the county to appoint firms on a case-
by-case basis to handle specific issues
that the firm may specialize in.
He added that he thought this pro-
cess could open the doors for firms
By Asia Ashley
aashley@henryherald.com
Stockbridge council closes mayor investigation
STOCKBRIDGE —
Nearly eight months after
agreeing to investigate
Mayor Tim Thompson,
council voted Thursday
night to close the inquiry,
though some said they
weren’t too pleased with
the report.
The investigation, con-
ducted by Phillip Friduss
of Landrum, Friduss and
Ash LLC, was approved
by the council in March
to determine if Thompson
violated the city charter
after his actions during a
March 5 executive session.
“We wanted to show a
pattern that this man is out
of control,” Councilwoman
Robin Buschman said.
“This man will not do what
it takes
to right
the wrong
and make
himself
a better
person.”
Dur-
ing that
executive
session a voice similar to
that of Thompson can be
heard screaming and yell-
ing on a video recording of
the meeting. The follow-
ing day, Mayor Pro Tem
Alphonso Thomas filed a
police report alleging that
Thompson threatened to
take him to the parking lot
and “beat his (expletive),”
according to a Henry
County police report.
Thompson allegedly threw
a water bottle and had to
be restrained, according
to council members who
witnessed the incident.
“This guy has been bul-
lying and threatening ever
since he came into office
but we were just trying to
keep it in-house, but on
March 5 when that incident
happened, that’s why we
did this,” Thomas said.
The group received
an initial report from the
investigation in August, but
council members said they
had additional questions
regarding the report.
One of the major con-
cerns from council was
that Diane Ide was not
interviewed as part of the
investigation, although
she was a witness to the
March 5 incident. Ide is
executive assistant to the
By Asia Ashley
aashley@henryherald.com
Tommy Smith
Police seek
suspect in
armed robbery
STOCKBRIDGE — Henry County
police have issued a lookout for a suspect
in an armed robbery.
Police said there was an armed rob-
bery Tuesday at Walgreens on Hudson
Bridge Road.
The suspect is a black male driving a
white Ford Flex, police said.
Anyone with information identifying
the suspect is asked to contact Detective
Sgt. Stapp at 770-288-7751.
By Kayla Langmaid
klangmaid@henryherald.com
Henry County police issued a lookout for
an armed robbery suspect at Walgreens
in Stockbridge.
See contract, Page 7A
Tim
Thompson
Locust Grove Middle sixth-grader Jasmine Holbert studies a map image cast by an overhead projector during social studies class.
(Staff Photo: Johnny Jackson)
Henry County Middle students Tea Burr, Synia Hunter, Jaida Bearfield and Mai Wiley produce
broadcast reports at the school as part of their extended learning experience. (Staff Photo: John-
ny Jackson)
See Learning, Page 7A
See mayor, Page 7A
Henry County
schools close for
Thanksgiving
McDONOUGH — Henry County
Schools will be closed Monday
through Friday, Nov. 23-27, in
observance of the Thanksgiving
holidays. Classes resume Nov. 30.

2. henryherald.com7A Saturday/Sunday, NOVEMBER 21/22, 2015•
Learning
said teachers regularly en-
courage service learning
in student-led projects.
Henry County Middle
is one of five schools in
Henry County to pilot a
school-wide service learn-
ing endeavor in 2014-15.
The school and several
more in Henry County
Schools have commit-
ted to continuing service
learning programs this
year in a partnership with
the National Youth Lead-
ership Council based in
Saint Paul, Minn.
Susana Valde, the coun-
cil’s chief learning officer,
said service learning al-
lows students to find real
needs in the community
and serve them through
projects they undertake in
the classroom. The meth-
od, she added, supports
classroom instruction to
cultivate service-minded
young citizens.
Service learning is a
form of project-based
personalized learning,
and students are doing
their share of it at Locust
Grove Middle — a mem-
ber with Henry County
Middle of the first cohort
of personalized learning
schools in the district.
The school receives
part of funding from the
Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation’s Next Gen-
eration Systems Initiative
Grant to continue with the
district’s 2020 vision of
instituting personalized
learning platforms in each
of its schools.
Locust Grove Middle
does its part by offering
tours during the school
day, giving parents, edu-
cators and other education
stakeholders opportunities
to learn how personalized
learning works.
Students sometimes
choose to learn via webi-
nar or video.
But visitors to the
school hear from students
and teachers about the in-
class experience, and they
see it for themselves.
Eighth-graders Summer
Baker and Logan Brown
are tour guides in their
third year of personalized
learning. They guided a
group of educators from
Lake County Schools in
central Florida through a
few classrooms recently.
Katherine Dollar, a
sixth-grade English lan-
guage arts teacher, tells
guests how she gives stu-
dents options to demon-
strate their understanding
of reading assignments.
Sixth-grade math
teacher Kaitlyn Edwards
similarly goes about using
a “choice board” for stu-
dents to help decide how
they want to learn differ-
ent lessons.
The tour guides make
their way through a maze
of kids lying on the floor
creating posters to drape
on school lockers for peer
evaluations, before coming
to Tracey Hollis’ sixth-
grade social studies class.
Student Jasmine Hol-
bert is propped up in the
glow of a map projected
onto a whiteboard while
Hollis sits near the win-
dows where she counsels
a line of students who
are working on their own
geography projects.
Coach Josh Heath’s bi-
ology students are mold-
ing clay models of cells
and drawing up game
boards in ways to learn
the process of mitosis and
meiosis.
“We have seen now
very creative ways of
helping students be suc-
cessful at their own pace,”
said Gray Middle Princi-
pal Pam Chateauneuf of
Lake County Schools.
“With personalized
learning you can’t open
up a magic box and
know what works,” her
standards teacher Linda
Delaney added. “It will
always be a work in prog-
ress.”
To learn more about
personalized learning in
Henry County Schools,
visit the district website at
henry.k12.ga.us.
•From Page 1A
Mayor
city manager.
Council members Buschman,
Thomas and Lakeisha Gantt said
they also questioned Friduss as
to why several crucial state-
ments were left out of the re-
port, including statements from
council members, Thompson,
the city manager, city attorney,
David Milliron, J.T. Williams,
Kathy Gilbert and Chris Balch.
“All we wanted were the
facts, not an opinion or assump-
tion,” said Thomas. “We’re not
paying you for your opinions
and assumptions and that’s all
the report was about.”
The council also inquired of
Friduss after receiving the initial
report, why the facts regarding
Hugh Austin’s contract with the
city did not appear in the report.
The council said that Thompson
hired Austin as an executive
assistant to the mayor in Febru-
ary 2014 without the council
approving a job description, pay
class, or organizational chart for
the position, which the council
alleged violated the city’s pro-
fessional services policy.
During Thursday’s called
meeting, Gantt questioned why
Friduss was not there to present
his final report, which is typical
for investigations presentations.
However, City Attorney Michael
Williams said Friduss declined
to attend the meeting.
The three council members
expressed frustration that the
report from the nearly $40,000
investigation was more “opin-
ion” of the investigator instead
of facts, and that none of
their comments regarding the
mayor’s alleged threats to them
over the years were included in
the report.
“That’s why he didn’t show
up tonight, because we tasked
him to give us the facts and the
truth,” Thomas.
Gantt said in recent weeks
Thompson has continued threat-
ening employees and staff’s
jobs, and fears that his behavior
will continue.
“I told the investigator,
‘You’re going to have to look
at his behavior because it can’t
continue the way things are go-
ing,’” Buschman said. “I don’t
know what’s going to happen
that’s going to stop him. I don’t
know at what point in time.”
Councilman Anthony Ford
said he felt the report was
detailed enough and opined that
the report seemed to present
facts.
“In my opinion, it addressed
all the questions council had
in the supplementary report,
though it may not have been to
the satisfaction of the council in
general,” Ford said.
Councilwoman Regina Ward
could not be reached for com-
ment.
Friduss told the Herald that
the supplementary report ex-
plains why certain people were
not interviewed and why certain
statements and things were not
included in the report.
“The report speaks for itself,”
he said.
He said he felt no need to
present the “self-explanatory”
report to council, as he had done
in executive session with the
initial report.
The Herald spoke to Thomp-
son Friday afternoon, who
denied ever threatening council
members and employees, and
said the investigative report
should be taken for what it is.
“They didn’t just interview
my friends, some of these were
my archnemesis,” he said.
As part of Thompson’s
reprimand from the council in
March, it was recommended the
he undergo anger management
counseling. Buschman, Gantt
and Thomas said the report indi-
cates Thompson has not gone to
counseling and that he has only
met with two ministers.
When asked about the anger
management counseling,
Thompson said he has been to
numerous anger management
sessions with ministers, but later
said he did not consider those
sessions “anger management
counseling.”
“No, I don’t call that anger
management counseling,” he
said. “We have all been in
situations where we’ve all been
upset, it doesn’t mean you have
anger issues. I attended numer-
ous sessions (with ministers), I
can’t even remember. I constant-
ly try to become a better person.
“I’m not proud of my ac-
tions that day but I stood up
for something that was wrong,”
Thompson said.
During that March 5 execu-
tive session, Thompson said he
was upset that council would
not allow him to have a selec-
tion for the Stockbridge Down-
town Development Authority
board, because he said he had
felt strongly from the beginning
about resolving issues between
the two entities.
The report was ready just
before 5 p.m. Friday. City Clerk
Vanessa Holiday said the city
had to redact personal informa-
tion before releasing it. The
Herald will get a copy Monday
and update this article.
Check back at henryherald.
com for details on the report.
•From Page 1A
Contract
who may charge less for its
services.
An open records request sub-
mitted by the Herald in August
revealed that from August 2013
to August 2014, the county
spent $367,717.39 in legal fees.
From the time of outsourcing in
September 2014 to Aug. 19, a
total of $379,989.21 was spent,
showing that the county has
spent more money since out-
sourcing.
In September, commission-
ers approved an amendment to
the Fincher contract stating that
the firm would only be assigned
work through County Attorney
Patrick Jaugstetter as opposed to
handling most litigation matters.
Jaugstetter, who is paid at a
flat rate of $17,500 per month,
now handles all routine legal
matters faced by the county,
according to the amendments
approved in September.
At the Tuesday evening BOC
meeting, Jaugstetter said that al-
though there could be a money-
saving element to Smith’s
proposal and an opportunity
for more expertised firms, he
saw no need to make a “drastic
operational change.”
Smith and Commissioner
Gary Barham cast the votes for
contract termination.
•From Page 1A
Above, Locust Grove Middle As-
sistant Principal Kevin Van Tone
presents to a group of teachers
during a tour of the school’s
personalized learning endeavor.
Left, Henry County Middle
students meet with their teacher
in a round table collaborative.
(Staff Photos: Johnny Jackson)
obituaries
HAMPTON
Genelle Brand
Mrs. Genelle Chaffin
Brand, age 95 of Hampton,
Georgia passed away No-
vember 19, 2015. She was
born in Hampton, Georgia
to the late William Law-
rence and Nora Amelia
Foster Chaffin. She was
preceded in death by her
husband of nearly 65 years,
Robert Henry Brand, infant
son, William Allen Brand,
son, Robert Richard Brand
and by brothers, Wil-
liam Howard Chaffin and
Marvin Edward Chaffin.
Mrs. Brand had worked for
Southern States in Hamp-
ton and the lunchroom of
Suder Elementary School
in Jonesboro. She was an
active member of County
Line Congregational Chris-
tian Church for almost 80
years until going into the
Jonesboro Assisted Living
in November 2009. Her
loves were family, flow-
ers and cooking. Survi-
vors include her grand-
daughters, Janet (Chuck)
Thomas, Susan Kerrison
and their mother, Marion
Barfield; great grand-
children, Robert (Katlin)
Kerrison, Kyle (Jessica)
Simpson, Brandon Ker-
rison, Rebecca Kerrison,
Melissa (Eric) Swenson,
Chad (Haley) Thomas;
sister, Ethelyn Chaffin
Steele; several nieces and
nephews. Funeral services
will be conducted Sunday,
November 22, 2015 at
2:00 pm from the Chapel
of Haisten Funeral Home.
Rev. Tom Allen will offici-
ate. Interment will follow
at County Line Congre-
gational Christian Church
Cemetery. Friends may
visit the family Saturday
from 6:00 – 8:00 pm at
the funeral home. In lieu
of flowers, contributions
are asked to be made to
Southern Grace Hospice,
364 Racetrack Road,
McDonough, GA 30252
in memory of Mrs. Brand.
Haisten Funeral Home of
McDonough, 770-914-
8833, www.haistenfuner-
als.com.
STOCKBRIDGE
Carol Burdette
Carol Diane Burdette,
(Lady Di) age 69, of
Stockbridge, GA died
Thursday, November 19,
2015. She was born in
Savannah, GA to the late
Doyce Hall and Lois Edith
Monroe Hendrix. She was
also preceded in death by
her daughter, Kimberly
Jolene Harper, brothers,
Raymon Hendrix and
Doyce Hendrix Jr. She
enjoyed doing hair, playing
cards, gambling, and going
to church. She was a lov-
ing mom, Dee Dee, sister,
and friend to many.
Ms. Burdette is survived
by her daughter, Chris-
sie Burdette and Patrick
Northrop of Stockbridge;
son, Curtis Ray Redding
Jr., Stockbridge; sister,
Bonnie Hendrix, Jackson-
ville; brothers and sisters-
in-law, Darryll and June
Hendrix, Craig and Sonja
Hendrix, Robbie Hendrix,
Roland Cannon Jr., Mi-
chael and Lisa Cannon all
of Savannah; granddaugh-
ters, Alexis Taylor, Nevaeh
Northrop, Kylie Northrop,
Alexandria Northrop, Mer-
cedes Northrop, Amber
Nicole Childers, Victoria
Redding, Breanna and
Robby Quinton; grand-
son, Blake Harper; great-
granddaughters, Carol Lola
Quinton, Esabella Claire
Northrop, Alanna Childers;
and great-grandson,
Breckin McGuire.
Funeral Services will
be held at 3:00 PM on
Sunday, November 22,
2015 at the Chapel of
Cannon Cleveland Funeral
She
e
Directors with Pastor John
Moody officiating. Inter-
ment will follow at East-
lawn Memorial Gardens.
The family will receive
friends Saturday, Novem-
ber 21, 2015 from 6-8 PM
at the funeral home. In lieu
of flowers donations may
be made to her daughter,
Chrissie Burdette. Those
who wish may sign the on-
line guest registry at www.
cannonclevelandfunerals.
com. Cannon Cleveland
Funeral Directors, 770-
914-1414.
SALEM, AL
Bernice Ingram
Bernice “Ruth” Costley
Ingram, age 84, of Salem,
AL died Tuesday, No-
vember 17, 2015 at her
daughter’s residence in
McDonough, GA. She
was born in Carrollton, GA
to the late James Lloyd En-
trekin and Lily Faye Doss.
Ruth was also preceded in
death by her first husband,
Sidney Harold Costley.
Mrs. Ingram is survived
by her husband, Charles
Lewis Ingram, Sr., Salem,
AL; daughter, Dianne
and Jim Delbridge of
McDonough, GA; sister,
R
Ruby Faye Williams,
Carrollton, GA; grand-
children, Kimberly and
Craig Johnson, Joseph and
Jessie Delbridge and Jamie
Delbridge; great-grand-
children, Sydney Blake
Johnson and Marley Star
Johnson; step-children,
Lewis Ingram, Jr., Keith
Ingram, Terry Ingram, and
Sheena Ives; nieces and
nephews, Terri Williams,
Beverly Fernander, Alan
and Steve Williamson all
of Carrollton, GA.
Funeral Services will
be held at 2:00pm EST
on Friday, November 20,
2015 at Beulah Baptist
Church, Valley, AL with
Pastor Mitchell Smith
and Pastor Jim Dykes
officiating. The family
will receive friends at the
church from 1:00-2:00pm.
Interment will follow at
Garden Hills Cemetery,
Opelika, AL. The family
will receive friends Thurs-
day, November 19, 2015
from 6:00pm - 8:00pm at
Cannon Cleveland Funeral
Directors. Those who wish
may sign the on-line guest
registry at www.cannon-
clevelandfunerals.com.
Cannon Cleveland Funeral
Directors, 770-914-1414.
JONESBORO
Daisy Vaughn
Mrs. Daisy Lee Vaughn,
age 84, of Jonesboro,
passed away on November
18, 2015. She was preced-
ed in death by her former
husband, Roger Vaughn
and a brother, Jack Moore.
She is survived by her
children, Randy Vaughn of
Jonesboro, Steve (Janie)
Vaughn of Eatonton, Larry
(Joy) Vaughn of Eatonton;
sister, Evelyn (Melvin)
Lester of Rome; 9 grand-
children, 7 great grandchil-
dren, several cousins, niec-
es and nephews. Funeral
services will be held at 11
AM on Saturday, Novem-
ber 21, 2015 in the chapel
of Ford-Stewart Funeral
Home. Interment will be
at Morrow Cemetery. The
family will receive friends
on Friday, November 20,
2015 from 6-8 PM at the
funeral home. In lieu of
flowers the family ask that
contributions be made
to Southwest Christian
Hospice, 7225 Lester Rd.,
Union City, GA 30291 in
memory of Mrs. Vaughn.
Ford-Stewart Funeral
Home, Inc., Jonesboro/
Stockbridge 770-210-2700.
www.fordstewartfuneral-
home.com